


Our Get-Along Shirt

by ethiiron



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Dammit Hanzo, Emotional Support, Friendship, Gen, Genji is good, Hanzo-centric, Overwatch helps Hanzo, Past Abuse, almost murder, almost murder (again), brothers rekindling their friendship, green cyborg ninja
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 18:18:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9505025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ethiiron/pseuds/ethiiron
Summary: Hanzo has been with Overwatch for a few months, but he's struggling to make good on his promise to rekindle his relationship with Genji. An opportunity for Hanzo and Genji to talk about their past arises, but Hanzo is still missing a lot of pieces from the last ten years. He seeks out the help of those close to Genji in order to rebuild their relationship.





	1. Mission Update

“Agent Shimada. A word, if you please.”

Hanzo looked up from the newspaper he was reading to see Winston shifting awkwardly in front of the table he was sitting at. The scientist seemed quite agitated and was avoiding eye contact as much as possible. In the three months Hanzo had been with Overwatch, he hadn’t interacted with Winston outside of mission briefings and debriefings, so to be cornered by him in the kitchen was new. Despite the obvious tension between the two, Hanzo managed to retain his composure as he cleared his throat.

“Of course,” Hanzo said, as amicably as he could manage, “what do you need from me?”

“It’s about that mission, to Ilios…”

Ah, that mission. Hanzo recalled that he was about to be shipped off to Ilios with McCree and Genji for a reconnaissance mission in the next few days. Stealth was of the import, so it made sense to send two ninjas and a former Blackwatch operative on this one. Hanzo had been impressed by Winston’s quick calculations; clearly he had done his research on team composition. It would not come as a surprise to Hanzo if the scientist could read aloud his file with his eyes closed, and he wouldn’t blame them. Everyone knew Hanzo was a risk to Overwatch because of his history with Genji, and he knew his file had been well-read by everyone at Watchpoint: Gibraltar for one reason or another.

“Yes, the reconnaissance mission. What about it?” Hanzo queried, an eyebrow raised.

“It’s about McCree, actually.” Winston muttered, his eyes meeting Hanzo’s for the first time during their interaction. “He left the base in a hurry this morning to chase a lead regarding his former commander, Gabriel Reyes. He would have landed in Mexico about an hour ago.”

“Oh.” Hanzo’s heart rate began to quicken as the real consequences of McCree’s disappearance began to make become apparent. “That is… unfortunate.”

“Indeed,” Winston huffed, “since you will have to travel alone to Ilios…”

“Alone… with Genji.”

The gorilla nodded. Blunt.

“I realise that this is not the ideal situation, Agent Shimada,” Winston said, softer than before, almost sympathetically, “but the truth is, no one else is suitable for this type of mission. At least, no one we have here right now. I can’t send Lena; she’s our only pilot. And…”

“Winston.” Hanzo cut him off; he could tell that he was starting to fret, and that would do Hanzo’s already increasing anxiety no good. “I understand. This is… not, as you say, ideal, but we will make it work.”

Winston smiled softly and begin to walk towards the main kitchen door.

“I’m glad to hear that. Thank you, Agent Shimada. I will update you as soon as I know when you’re leaving.”

Seeing the usually-stressed out Winston smile was a rare treat, and for a moment it helped to ease the ache in Hanzo’s chest. As the scientist reached the door, he turned back to Hanzo.

“If I may be so bold, Agent Shimada; I understand that you and Genji have ten years of history to absolve. Perhaps Agent McCree’s disappearance is more of a blessing than a curse.”

The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments, Winston contemplating if he had overstepped a boundary he should have been more wary of, and Hanzo contemplating whether or not it was too soon to be approaching this topic with anyone but Genji. At last, the latter broke the silence with something short and non-committal.

“Perhaps you are right.”

The gorilla, seemingly satisfied with this response, nodded once more and disappeared into the hallway, leaving Hanzo alone with his hammering heart and anxious thoughts.


	2. Tell Me About Him

Hanzo paced round his room, waiting for a knock that he didn’t think was coming. It had been a few minutes but to him it felt like hours, and he hadn’t stopped pacing since he’d ran from the mess hall back to his own safe space. His thoughts were swirling in his mind, a series of ‘What ifs’ and ‘Why nots’ creating a metaphorical storm inside his own head that dulled the noise of the outside world. In the midst of all of these questions, three knocks sounded in the distance; the thoughts were suddenly quelled, and Hanzo bolted to the door, opening it faster than he intended and causing the Omnic on the other side of the door to cock its head to the side in worry.

“Hanzo.” Zenyatta uttered placidly, never one to use honorifics, which Hanzo was in two minds about. On one hand, he was the heir to the Shimada clan – emphasis on _was_ – and it was typical in his culture to use honorifics unless explicitly told otherwise. On the other hand, after what he did to Genji all those years ago, he no longer believed that he deserved a name at all, let alone a term of politeness attached to it.

“Zenyatta. Ah, thank you for coming on such short notice.” Hanzo stepped back from the door and motioned for the Omnic to enter, shifting uncomfortably as Zenyatta floated in and seated itself upon his bed. Out of courtesy, Hanzo had poured two cups of tea as a welcoming gesture, before recalling that his guest could not actually drink it. Judging by the way Zenyatta was eyeing the cups, he could tell that Zenyatta was thinking the same thing; the pair made eye contact, and Hanzo put his head in his hands in shame as Zenyatta barely stifled a laugh. This did not make for a good first impression.

“I appreciate the gesture, Hanzo. Truly, I do,” Zenyatta continued, as Hanzo raised his eyebrows at him, “but I have to assume you did not call me here simply to taste your new batch of tea.”

Huffing slightly, the archer strode over to the opposite end of his bed and tentatively sat down on it, as though lowering himself into a hot bath, facing Zenyatta but not making eye contact. Instead, he chose to look down at no spot in particular on his duvet and spoke slowly but clearly.

“Winston just informed me that I will be traveling alone with Genji on our next deployment, since McCree has… abandoned me- the mission.” Hanzo took a shaky breath to release the bubbling anger in his voice; he would deal with McCree when he was home, but he assumed that if the cowboy had run off somewhere on such short notice, then it must have been important. “I came to Overwatch for Genji. I wanted to seek redemption for what I did to him and join a cause he deemed worthy.”

“But you do not agree with him, no?” Zenyatta hummed thoughtfully.

“It’s not that I don’t agree with him… admittedly, I haven’t had time to process how I feel about Overwatch. I am… focused on what I can do for Genji right now. But,” Hanzo sighed in exasperation, “it has been three months and we have hardly spoken. We do not intentionally avoid each other, but Overwatch has been keeping us busy, and I was beginning to lose hope that we would- we would-” he trailed off, unsure of the right expression. Fortunately, Zenyatta stepped in to help.

“I believe the term is ‘make up’, yes?”

Hanzo huffed once more. “Yes, I suppose that would be the closest term.”

“But now you have an opportunity to finally make amends, your anxieties are getting the better of you. Am I correct in that assumption, Hanzo?”

Hanzo looked up at the Zenyatta and, for the first time, he understood why the rest of the team swore by his ability to heal wounds. Not the physical ones, but the mental ones that other people struggled to see. Those invisible maladies that had plagued people for thousands of years and always took a backseat when compared to physical ailments were laid bare in front of Tekhartha Zenyatta, seemingly; if Hanzo could summon spirit dragons from his own body, it wasn’t too much of a stretch to think that Zenyatta could either read minds, or see mental illness with his own eyes.

“Yes. You are correct.” It was hard to admit to his illnesses, Hanzo thought as he replied slowly, but somehow it made his burden a little lighter to share.

Zenyatta tilted his head slightly, and for some reason, Hanzo thought that the Omnic might have been smiling if it had a mouth.

“I see. Then, what help would you like me to offer you?”

Hanzo frowned. _If I knew the answer to that question, I would have avoided this small talk altogether,_ he thought. Where did he begin with this? What did he need to know? _Just talk,_ his inner monologue reminded him, _just start talking._ So, he did.

“I can’t make up with Genji if the only memories I have of him are from our past… from before the _incident_. I don’t know how much it would help me, but I’d like to hear some of your stories about him. It would be easier than falling into the trap of talking about our past.” Hanzo gulped after he finished, but maintained eye contact with Zenyatta; he hadn’t spoken to the monk an awful lot, but he knew how close he was to Genji. He couldn’t afford to seem insincere.

Zenyatta hummed and looked up to the clock on the wall. 11:30PM. Placing his arms on his folded knees, he turned back to face Hanzo.

“Well, where to begin?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters will get longer, I promise. I'm just easing into the plot right now.   
> Also, I finished my Masters Degree recently so writing extensively is somewhat taxing for me. 50,000 words of academic writing in 2016 was not fun.   
> But hey, writing fiction for the first time in a while is proving to be a treat! Thanks for the kudos and bookmarks so far.  
> Once again, you can find me on tumblr under the username ethiiron.


	3. Doctor's Orders

“Come in!” He heard the medic call from behind the door he had knocked a little too rapidly on, as if to confirm how desperate he was feeling about his current situation. Hanzo hadn’t managed to corner Mercy at all since he had spoken to Zenyatta two days prior, and the Ilios mission was only a few days away now. The panic and anxiety surrounding his mind’s idea of spending time alone with Genji was beginning to worsen, as he knew it would, but he still needed to speak to a number of people before the mission began. Swallowing thickly, he opened the door and entered swiftly.

Mercy looked up from a petri dish filled with something Hanzo could only hazard a guess at and visibly tensed at his presence. _Understandable,_ he thought bitterly, _considering what I did to him._ Despite receiving Genji’s forgiveness, he expected that he would find it hard to get on the good side of his teammates. _His friends_ , he inwardly corrected himself, as the doctor made her way over to him, gesturing to the armchair in front of her desk on the opposite side of her lab.

“Agent Shimada- Hanzo, is it alright if I call you Hanzo?” Mercy said confidently, any previous tension disappearing from her shoulders as her doctor’s façade enveloped her features. She took a seat behind the desk and folded her arms neatly, eyeing him expectantly as he stood somewhat awkwardly next to the chair opposite her.

“Yes. That is fine.” He sat down slowly while she watched him, observing his face, his shoulders, his torso – her instincts told her that if Hanzo sought her out, it must certainly be because of a medical issue. The look of confusion that spread slowly on her face when she couldn’t spot any physical injury gave Hanzo a slight smug feeling, but he quickly silenced that thought; he was here to make amends, not to try to one-up the doctor that saved Genji’s life.

“So… what can I do for you, Hanzo?”

“I was wondering if I could talk to you for a little while,” Hanzo said neutrally, “but, ah, I see that you might be busy in your laboratory, so…”

Mercy shook her head and waved her hands in front of her face hastily.

“Oh, that is not exactly time-sensitive,” she explained, gesturing towards the equipment she had set up, “it’s more like an ongoing process. If there is something on your mind, please share it.” The impatience in her tone did not go unnoticed by Hanzo, who simply nodded. _I’ll get straight to the point, then, shall I?_

“I want to ask you about Genji.” Hanzo mimicked her confident tone from earlier, despite feeling anything but confident. A raised eyebrow from Mercy and a twitch of her lips suggested that she hadn’t been expecting him to approach her about this topic, but nonetheless she cocked her head and gestured for him to continue.

“We are heading out on a mission to Ilios in the coming days. You are… aware of Genji and I… of our… ah…” he trailed off, scratching his beard, and sighed. _No point beating around the bush._ He continued. “You are aware of what I did to him.”

Mercy nodded, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.

“I am indeed.” She said nothing more, and he took it as a cue to continue.

“Genji invited me here to make amends, and to make up for what I did to him. I am beginning to get used to working with this team, but I have not had the chance to talk to my brother about… well, everything that happened between that night and now. I wish to avoid falling into the routine of reminiscing about our past, as I know it could lead to more arguing. I-”

“You want to know more about the Genji that we all know and love.” Mercy interrupted him; however, her voice was softer now, and she was eyeing Hanzo with a mixture of suspicion and smugness. “Good. Genji holds a lot of anger towards your father and your clan; talking to him about your childhood and teenage years may only prove to alienate him further.”

Though initially shocked by how perceptive she was, Hanzo nodded his confirmation and looked into her eyes. He wasn’t about to beg the doctor for information, but he tried to convey how serious about this he was through his eyes alone. She seemed to understand that he was being genuine about this, as she sighed and mimicked his nodding.

“Then, let’s start at that night. The night we found him.”

Hanzo cringed and averted his eyes, but the doctor silenced him before he could counter her.

“If you want to atone, Hanzo, you should acknowledge what happened in the aftermath of your attack,” she advised, “it is not fair that Genji should have lived through that ordeal and for you to remain… well…”

“Blissfully unaware.” Hanzo whispered, finishing the sentence for her.

“Precisely. I won’t sugar-coat it, Hanzo. What you did to him was monstrous.”

And so she explained how the Overwatch team that was stationed in Osaka had received a distress call from a communicator, and upon arriving at the empty Hanamura castle had been faced with what remained of the youngest Shimada brother. Mercy explained how they had pulled Genji from the floor and into their emergency shuttle, and how a full medical team had operated on him for nearly 20 hours non-stop. It was the worst case many of them had ever had the misfortune to work on. It took weeks to piece him back together fully and a further six months for Genji to gain some semblance of how he used to be. The physiotherapy was hard, she explained; the psychotherapy was harder. She glanced at a scar on her hand as she spoke of how Genji had lashed out during a particular session, and Hanzo closed his eyes, a tremor of guilt coursing through him. _My actions towards Genji have not only harmed him, it seems._ Listening to Mercy speak about Genji’s actions and feelings in the year after they rescued him made Hanzo realise that he would have to apologise to others, too, for their suffering.

Eventually, Mercy trailed off, ending with the story of how Genji had come around to the idea of working with Overwatch, believing that he owed a life debt to these people and wanting to find Hanzo to get his revenge. Hanzo nodded solemnly; he had expected nothing less, and had often found himself attempting to ward off evil spirits in case Genji’s vengeful ghost came back to haunt him.

“Genji, of course, did join Overwatch,” Mercy said slowly, rubbing her eyes and stretching, “but he ended up joining the Blackwatch division. If you want to know more about that, you’re better contacting Jesse.”

“I see,” Hanzo murmured, glancing at the clock above Mercy’s head. They had been talking for just under an hour. He sighed and stood from his chair, bowing slightly towards her.

“I should go. Thank you for your time, Doctor Zeigler.”

“Wait, Hanzo.”

Mercy was shifting in her seat, looking deep into Hanzo’s eyes; she looked as if she was contemplating whether or not to say something to him. Hanzo cocked his head, and she took it as an invitation to continue.

“I won’t lie to you. I saw Genji first-hand. I was by his side for the entirety of his recovery. As you can imagine, I am not your biggest fan, and I was surprised to hear that Genji had chosen to forgive you. I would have… seeing Genji like that… I didn’t think- he didn’t have the capacity for forgiveness, so seeing him like this now is… remarkable, to say the least. I…” she trailed off, her voice wavering as she spoke, but she regained her composure quickly. “I know it will be difficult for the both of you, but answer me this, Hanzo: are you as sincere as Genji is about making amends, and patching up your relationship once and for all?”

Hanzo blinked and swallowed the lump in his throat.

“I have never been more sincere about anything in my life.”

“And do you recognise that your relationship with Genji is forever changed?”

 _No going back to the past,_ Hanzo thought sadly. He nodded.

“Finally, then,” Mercy finished, her voice threatening and her eyes turning into a glare, “do you realise that, while making up to Genji should be your utmost priority, making up with everyone here who had to love him through that ordeal will also be necessary?”

If her glare was supposed to intimidate Hanzo, it fell far short of its mark, because at that moment all Hanzo could do was smile. Mercy initially scowled at this, but recognising the sentiment behind his smile, her features softened.

“If that is the case… what is your favourite brand of Swiss chocolate, Angela?”

The doctor flashed a toothy grin and patted his shoulder.

“I think I’m starting to like you, Hanzo Shimada.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while since the update. I moved house, and I'm settling in, so this is going to be getting updated more regularly. I got big plans, my dudes.  
> I have some personal headcanons about Mercy. Namely that she's not as altruistic and neutral/lawful good as she seems. But I don't think I want to address that in this fic, so I'll save that for another one, a one-shot perhaps. So if you're here for morally-ambiguous Mercy, you're not going to find it here. Sorry. In any case, thanks for reading.


	4. Whatever advice you give, be brief.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo literally did not ask, but here he is being told anyway.

It seemed the entirety of Watchpoint: Gibraltar had been clued in to Hanzo’s recent interactions with Zenyatta and Mercy, because one by one various members of the crew approached him during the day before his mission to Ilios. Genji was, conveniently, off-base, picking up supplies in town and doing some last-minute sightseeing with Zenyatta. Mercy had, apparently, told Pharah the purpose of Hanzo’s visit, and during breakfast she had very boldly walked over to the eldest Shimada brother and sat her plate down in front of him.

“I realise this is a very public space, but I don’t think I’m going to get another chance to give you some advice before you leave,” Pharah explained casually, “so here I am.”

Hanzo blinked in confusion and shook his head.

“But I wasn’t planning on asking for your advice on this.”

If Pharah was offended, she didn’t show it. She simply waved her hand and began spooning beans and sausages onto her toast.

“I was here, too, when Genji arrived. I might not have ran missions with him and Blackwatch, but I was friends with him and Jesse during those days.” There was a wistful tone to her voice, and she stared at her plate, seemingly getting lost in her memories. She suddenly looked up and gave Hanzo a piercing gaze.

“I realise you may not want to hear my advice, so I’ll keep it brief.” Pharah inhaled, steeled herself as though she was preparing herself to talk for longer than she was used to, and then sighed before continuing.

“Genji was messed up when he came back from Blackwatch missions. He threw himself into the slaughterhouse in a vain attempt at revenge, yelling and screaming, according to Jesse. When he came back to the base, he was usually still shaking; he’d… talk under his breath. He’d run from everyone and perch on top of the roof for hours on end.” Hanzo’s skin began to crawl as he pictured Genji, stood on top of the Watchpoint roof, hacking away at an air vent and yelling in Japanese. “When he began to get close to Jesse and I, well, he opened up very quickly. He always found things to brag about – how many people he had killed, how many people he had slept with, how skilled he was at various fighting techniques. It was as though he was ashamed that he had lost to you, and was trying to make up for it by, well, being a sore loser.

“After a while, he started to get upset more and more. The bragging turned into sobbing. He would frequently lash out and run away, then come back to us and spend hours weeping on our shoulders, not saying a word.” Pharah gulped at the memory, a sorrowful look taking over her features. Hanzo winced as he was once again reminded that he’d hurt more than his own brother while carrying out his ‘duty’ to his clan. He maintained eye contact with Pharah until she cleared her throat.

“The point is this: he had to resolve a lot of the reasoning behind your attack on his own. He was insecure about the fact that he’d lost to you because he was so shocked at the realisation that his own brother had tried to kill him. Inevitably, he had to draw his own conclusions about why you did it. So, Hanzo, my advice for you is as follows: tell him, honestly, why you did it. No beating around the bush. No sugar-coating. Be upfront with him about your reasoning.” Pharah picked up her plate as Mercy entered the room and sat at the far table, waving politely at Hanzo. She stood from the table and took a deep breath. “I believe that will fix one of the largest holes in your relationship with him. Good luck.” With that, she flashed a tiny smile and moved towards the far table to join Mercy, leaving Hanzo to consider her words.

He had been so intent on avoiding past topics and learning more about Genji’s life after the incident, that he hadn’t spared much thought towards how he was going to broach the topic of the night itself with him. Glancing towards Pharah’s back, he hummed thoughtfully and tried to push down the anxiety creeping up through his stomach. _No beating around the bush. No sugar-coating. No excuses,_ he thought to himself.

Just as he allowed that thought to process in his mind, a sudden blur of blue dashed from the corner of the room into the seat in front of him. Startled, he only managed to grip his cup of tea tighter to avoid dropping it, before relaxing at the sight before him. Tracer.

“Hiya, Hanzo!” She said cheerfully, smiling widely at him.

Hanzo nodded in greeting and attempted a smile in return. He must have been successful because he noticed how Tracer looked slightly taken-aback, and then grinned wider than before.

“So, I overheard a little bit of that conversation just now. Heavy stuff,” Tracer uttered with a raise of her eyebrows, “just wanted to check in and see if there was anything I could do for ya, love!”

“Do anything… for me?” Hanzo queried.

“Yep! I know I’m young and all, but I also knew Genji! Not as well as Fareeha and Jesse, mind you, but I used to run track with him every morning at dawn, and we’d party every now and then.”

Hanzo had severely misjudged Tracer’s age. He hadn’t wanted to ask anyone how long she had been around, but if she claimed to know Genji, then she must at least be in her mid-twenties. He took a sip of his tea and thought carefully about how many more people he wanted to involve in his “quest” for knowledge about Genji. Though, Tracer had already proved Pharah’s point about this being a very public place by eavesdropping – no, _overhearing_ , Hanzo thought, internally chastising himself for jumping to negative conclusions – and if Tracer knew, then it wouldn’t be long until Hana and Lúcio knew, and, well. They were the verbal equivalent of a wildfire, so there wasn’t much point in holding back now. He looked up and met Tracer’s expectant expression.

“I am trying to put together a picture of how my brother has been these past ten years, in my absence,” he started slowly, “and I thought it would be a good idea to ask for his team- ah, his friends’ advice.”

Tracer nodded enthusiastically. “Figured it’d be something like that! Well, you came to the right gal, Hanzo! This bird has got a story or two for you…”

Two and a half hours later, Hanzo, who had since been rejoined by Pharah, and subsequently joined by Mercy, Mei, Reinhardt and Torbjörn, was silently wishing for an opportunity to escape from Tracer’s very vivid, very descriptive story-telling. One or two stories had quickly evolved into ten, and when Pharah and everyone else had joined in with the story-swapping, the lines between each tale had begun to blur. Hanzo sat quietly during the stories, reacting appropriately (usually in a horrified way) to the stories of Genji, Blackwatch and Overwatch, and the various memorable missions they had been involved in. Despite not gaining any specific advice, Hanzo was glad to hear of Genji’s exploits, regardless of whether he approved of his actions. It proved to him that the people here were fond of him, and reminded him of Mercy’s words: _making up with everyone here who had to love him through that ordeal will also be necessary._

Tracer eventually decided that she was late for a “meeting” and dashed away, offering a wink and a salute in Hanzo’s direction. Mercy, Pharah and Mei headed towards the training rooms, and Torbjörn headed towards the laboratory, muttering something about working with Symmetra on a new and improved defence system for the Watchpoint. The sun was high in the midday sky, and Hanzo moved to the sink to get a glass of water to cool down. Reinhardt shuffled his feet behind him, but didn’t stand or make any other movement. He simply kept his eyes trained on Hanzo as he stood before the kitchen counter, cradling a glass of water in his hand. After a few moments of awkward staring, the giant nodded (more to himself than Hanzo) and started making his way out of the room. When he reached the door, he looked back over his shoulder with a serious look on his face.

“Do not underestimate the value of sitting in silence, Hanzo. Words are difficult to muster. Sometimes, silence is easier to understand.” He winked good-naturedly and waved as he walked away, leaving Hanzo to stand in shock. He hadn’t expected Reinhardt of all people to offer brief profoundness, when the man usually opted for epic stories over pints of beer. Counting his blessings that he wasn’t dragged into another two hours of storytelling with a hefty side of German morality, Hanzo turned to look out at the runway below the kitchen window.

Tomorrow, he would be meeting Genji and flying to a foreign land that neither of them had visited before. He had his mission briefing. He had his luggage. He had Stormbow. He had no idea if he would want to wake up the following morning.

 _That is a problem for tomorrow’s Hanzo,_ he thought bitterly, tipping the rest of the water down the drain. _Let’s hope he’s in a good mood._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this fic.
> 
> I love Hanzo and Genji and I've tried desperately for a while to write about their relationship.  
> I hope I do it justice.  
> I've got a lot of headcanons and I'll be borrowing from others, too.  
> If there are any explicit references to other works I've read, I'll list them here.
> 
> As usual, you can find me on tumblr under the username ethiiron.  
> Have a good one!


End file.
